So far this year, 12 trailers have been toppled by wind in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec area, authorities reported. Eight trucks were knocked over on highways in Oaxaca within 24 hours by gusts of wind up to 240 kilometers per hour, comparable to those which produce Category 3 hurricanes.
The strong winds arrived on Friday night as part of a cold front and toppled three trucks. On Saturday, five more trucks were felled by winds on the La Ventosa-La Venta highway, all in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
The head of state Civil Protection, Oscar Valencia, said the gales knocked down trees and billboards on the highways, destroyed corrugated roofs and left a truck’s cargo box stranded on a bridge.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
A Civil Protection delegate, Jesús González Pérez, said the agency prevented cars and trailers with empty cargo boxes from driving on part of the road, well known for its windy conditions at this time of year.
The agency also restricted fishing and maritime activities after the winds provoked two to three-meter waves in the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
Meanwhile, in the towns of Unión Hidalgo, Santiago Niltepec and Asunción Ixtaltepec roofs were damaged; in El Espinal, San Pedro Comitancillo and San Blas Atempa there were power cuts.
La Ventosa is a region well known for its blustery conditions: it is home to wind farms and its name means “the windy one.”
With reports from Milenio and El Universal Oaxaca
